Larry Nance Jr.
SF/PF, 6-8, 225
Junior, 21 years old
Hometown: Akron, OH
Notable: Nance tore his right ACL vs. UNLV on February 8, and is out for the season. He played in 23 games.
Season (34.7 mpg): 15.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 2 BPG, 1.4 SPG
54% FG, 25% defensive rebounding percentage (35th nationally)
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New Mexico 66, Wyoming 61 (OT)
February 5, 2014 | The Pit (Albuquerque, NM)
Larry Nance Jr. — SF/PF, 6-8, 225
Junior, 21 years old
Season (34.6 mpg): 16 PPG, 9 RPG, 2 APG, 2 BPG
54% FG, 27% 3-point (1.5 attempts per game)
Game: 10 pts, 5 rbs, 4 blks
4-13 FG, 2-2 FT
Outlook: Nance is a slender and extremely athletic stretch-forward. Not a great jump shooter, Nance is most effective driving the lane for an aerial jaunt towards the basket. Big hands, long arms, and explosive jumping ability. He can drive to the hoop in the half court, or lead the break and finish in transition.
He’s terrific attacking the rim and straight-line finishing, but Nance struggles away from the basket. He displayed poor shooting form, and according to Synergy, he’s shooting a horrid 25% on 69 jumpshot attempts this season.
Frankly, his offensive game is predicated on energy and points around the basket. He often scores on drop offs or quick cuts in the half-court, but his range is limited and I wonder how he’d fit within the constraints of an NBA offense. Defensively, Nance has long arms to contest shots, but at 225 pounds, he will struggle to defend post players in the NBA.
Overall, he hasn’t been able to add skill or polish to his athletic gifts. He’s aggressive, which is good, but he needs to develop some sort of shot.
Strengths
— NBA athlete
— Finishes through contact
— Stretch-forward potential (if he can develop jump shot)
— Defends bigger than his size
— Excellent timing on blocks
— High motor (despite skinny build)
Defects/Areas of Improvement
— Shooting 25% on jump shots (poor form)
— Defends big men in college (needs to defend wing players in NBA — does he possess requisite foot speed?)
— Average touch around the basket (overly reliant on athleticism)
— Just feels like something is missing (vague/ambiguous observation, but a visceral feeling that something is missing)
Video
Nance blocks Kirk, Bairstow
10 points vs. New Mexico
4-13 vs. New Mexico (misses)